Forty-eight and Feeling Great

 

A couple of weeks ago I celebrated my 48th birthday. This is a picture of some of my children, my grandson, and myself at one of our favorite Richmond locations, in the middle of a hike on my birthday.

The phrase I woke up with that morning, and that kept running through my mind that day was, "I'm forty-eight and feeling great." But what does that mean and how could I possibly have that outlook in November 2020, of all times? Every time that thought went through my mind, I thought of one more reason to agree with it. Here's what I came up with.

First, I  am happy. Happy to be alive. Happy to be surrounded by most of my children and my grandson every day. Happy to married to my wonderful husband of almost 23 years. Happy to share my birthday with him. Yes, we have the same birthday and are exactly the same age. Happy to have a continued sense of peace and trust in the Lord.

Second, I feel healthy. A couple of months ago, I had an annual check up in which the results of some of the labs came back with concerning results. In order to stave off the need for daily medications, I committed to becoming more disciplined in my approach to diet and exercise. It's paying off. I feel and look healthier than I have for some time. I am actually looking forward to going back for the follow-up labs in January to see what impact has been made.

Third, I am pursuing adventure. Part of my exercise plan has been exploring the abundant nature trails in our area through hiking. It's been exciting to discover new trails and treasures in a city that I've lived in for over 16 years. I love sharing those adventures with my family members. I feel a sense of accomplishment in the little things like finding the right clothes for the cold weather so I can keep going through the winter, as well as the more significant things like finishing a trail that took us a couple of weeks to work through. 

Fourth, I have new confidence. One of the things that has been changing over the past couple of years is how completely comfortable I feel in my own skin. Literally, my own skin. From my teen years through adulthood, my relationship with makeup has moved from exploratory, to naturally enhancing, to making an impression, to concealing flaws, and now mostly unnecessary. There was a time that I wouldn't dream of being photographed or seen in public without my "face" on. But now, I don't even wear a "face" anymore. It's mascara and little powder at the most, every now and then. And as you can see in the picture above, I'm no longer afraid of the camera without my "face". Nothing has changed about my skin, it still has flaws, a few dark spots, too much redness when I've been physically exerting myself, and as I'm aging, more wrinkles. What has changed is my ability to see myself the way the Lord, my family, and my friends do. To see the beauty that has grown in my heart and shines in my smile.

So, at 48, this is what it means for me to be feeling great and Living with Beloved Light!

 

Our Homeschool to Unschool Journey, Part 1

Our journey through homeschooling began in the fall of 2006. This post will be an introduction into that journey and will be followed by a series of posts which will take us through the winding paths of it.
Without going into too many details, we had heard about homeschooling while we were living in Texas c.2000-2004. There were a couple of families at our church who were homeschooling. It didn't interest me at all at that point, although we briefly considered looking into it at the end of the 2003-04 school year. I was easily convinced by my oldest 2 children that we didn't need to do that.
It wasn't until the fall of 2006 that life threw us a curve-ball and it became necessary to pull our oldest son out of school at the beginning of his 11th grade year. The other children were in grades 8, 1, and preschool/toddler aged.
We began with just the 11th grader doing a correspondence program, following a traditional educational approach via DVD lessons. Throughout that fall and winter, our 1st grader kept asking why he couldn't homeschool too. He wanted to stay home and do school like his older brother. He was doing well in school. He was keeping up with the expectations just fine and got along well with the other kids. But it wasn't home and he  had experienced a couple of uncomfortable situations and small complaints that he'd shared with us, and we just chalked it up to normal school experiences. In the meantime, I was learning that I really could do this. I had always volunteered in the schools, always spent lots of time invested in my kids and their education, so seeing how simple it was to do with the right tools, I began to consider bringing the first grader home too.
Soon after he returned to school from the Christmas break, he came home upset. He had a friend that he used to talk to on the playground. Both he and his friend were from Christian families and liked to talk about God together at recess. They had been told by their teacher that they were not allowed to do so. I gently explained that the teacher was wrong. He was allowed to talk about God at school, she wasn't. But I could see the doubt in his eyes, and knowing what an obedient child he was and how much he liked to please his teachers, I was immediately impressed with this thought, "No matter what we say at home, he will listen to them and try to please them there." I realized just how much the other adults in our so-called "village" could have an impact, for better or worse, on our children's beliefs and I wasn't ok with that. Especially since the aforementioned curve-ball fell right into that area of behaving one way away from home and another way at home and church. I shared my concerns with my husband and he agreed.
At the beginning of the Spring semester we brought him home. We purchased a 1st grade traditional curriculum, built him a desk and I started teaching him myself at home. Soon afterwards, I started purchased a pre-K curriculum to start teaching our 5 year old to read. Within weeks not only was she reading, the 3 year old was too. All doubts as to whether we were cut out to teach our kids at home were gone. At the end of that school year, the 11th grader got his GED and finished his high school education at that point.
In the fall, we started our 9th grader on the same DVD correspondence course that the older one used. She continued with it through graduation. It was a good fit for her and helped her achieve her goal of attending University to pursue a degree in music.
As for the rest of us, we began an enjoyable exciting adventure into exploring so many of ways an education at home can successfully be accomplished. Those ways will be explained in more detail in this series.

X's

X's

Do you draw X's on your calendar?
Is it just a way to cross off another day that's passed?
Or might those X's be symbols of treasure and the calendar a map?
Amid the common combination of  sentimental remembrances and
necessary reminders are the treasures that make up real living: dinners with family, game nights with friends, parties, dances, and romantic dates.
Look back on your calendar and relive the memories of the gold in days gone by,
then start dreaming of the next adventure and the gems that you will find.

Walking

Walking

My family has been doing a lot of walking lately. I've been taking my grandson for walks most weekdays. He likes to watch the world go by as he rides along in his stroller. Sometimes he sings his favorite songs as we stroll. Victoria often joins us on these walks and she and I have good conversations.

If I go for an evening walk Grace and Victoria both come along. Grace usually brings one of her plushies from her vast collection and poses them for photos. She's developed quite a collection in her portfolio. Victoria likes modeling in her own photos whenever she sees a pretty flower bed, flowering tree, or interesting wall to pose with. 

Joaquin has been able to join us for lots of these walks, which is a treat, since he normally works evenings. He enjoys inspecting the outsides of the houses we pass and points out different features and flaws. Along with his evening job, he is a home inspector during the day so he notices a lot of things we wouldn't see on our own.

We have been blessed with really great weather during our time in social isolation, making it super easy to get outside. I will miss these walks when the weather turns hot and humid and our lives get back to normal.

Video Games

Video Games

What do you think of when you think of video games? Do you think, "waste of time?" "Negative influence?" "Too much screen time?" "Frustration and discord between parents and kids?"

Maybe you enjoy video games but feel the shame that our society has stigmatized them with if you play "too much" or after you've become "too old"?

I don't really play video games, but they have become an important part of my joy in life. I am so thankful that I was willing to take another look, to try to understand the reasons my kids were so absorbed with them. I now see the value they can bring to family relationships and individual growth.

When I chose to pay attention to, rather than just put up with, my kids' video game playing, I realized that video games can nurture sibling bonds, holding fast despite long-distance and large age gaps. They foster art and music appreciation, and encourage creative expression in the forms of writing, drawing, vocal and instrumental performance, and acting. They increase critical thinking and problem solving skills. They develop the ability to achieve collaborative solutions. And they make our wide world a little smaller by connecting people around the world in networks based on common interests.

As I listen to my kids talk to each other about their games, work together or compete with one another on certain tasks, challenge each other to learn to sing or play a piece of music that inspires them during game play, or hear them chatting online with friends from Australia, Brazil, and other places far away from ours, I am amazed at what a blessing video games have been for us.

There is so much more to video games than I ever thought possible. If you struggle with a loved one's fascination with them, I encourage you to take another look. Open your eyes and mind to the magic they possess.